Sports Wall of Fame
• Golden Bears and Pandas swimming program head coach from 1976 to 1990
• Streamlined the Golden Bears and Pandas swimming teams into one unified program, while increased funding to the Pandas to match that of the Golden Bears
• Led the Golden Bears and Pandas to a combined five Canada West championships, and 13 podium finishes at the CIAU national championship
• Associate Professor and Professor in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation from 1986 to 2003, whose work in sport psychology led to new and re-crafted courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Faculty, with garnered attention throughout the institution
• Spent 13 years as a Sport Psychologist for the Pandas Basketball, Soccer, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey and Volleyball teams, helping them capture 12 national championships during that time
• 2015 Geoff Gowan Lifetime Achievement award winner for lifetime contributions to coaching development in Canada
Few have ever changed the landscape of Canadian University sport the way Dr. John M. Hogg - MA (1978), Ph.D (1982) - did during his tenure at the University of Alberta.
Following his graduation from St. Mary’s University (UK) in 1965, Hogg immediately took strides as both a teacher with the Inner London Education Authority, and as a swimming coach. It wasn’t long before he was appointed the head coach of the Scottish (1970) and British National Swim Teams (1972), positions he held until 1974. During this time, he earned both the British Coach of the Year Award and the Silver Star Award for Outstanding Contribution to Scottish Sport. In 1974 he was invited to coach in Canada as part of the preparations for the 1976 Olympic Games to be held in Montreal. He took up a coaching position with the Jasper Place Swim Club in Edmonton that was financially supported by Swimming Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Province of Alberta.
Following the 1976 Olympic Games, Hogg enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Alberta and was approached by Ed Zemrau, Director of Athletics at the time, and invited to coach the University swim teams as separate units. His first act, which was arguably the most important, was to agree only if the Bears and Pandas swim teams were combined and streamlined into one swimming program with equal funding for both teams. The equal funding for the Pandas program was nearly unheard of at the time, and started a major transformation in women’s university athletics.
What was accomplished in his 25-year tenure as swim coach and sport psychologist is truly remarkable, as his work with not only the Golden Bears and Pandas, but also in his field of performance enhancement, is unparalleled.
Hogg’s work with the University of Alberta’s swimming program sparked similar changes across the country, including more funding for women’s sports, scholarships for student-athletes, and more University representation on the Canadian National Team. Five Canada West Championships were won by the Golden Bears and Pandas during his tenure, as well as numerous podium finishes at National Championship competitions. He unified university swimming when he created the College’s Cup – an invitational meet involving the top six Canadian university teams – sponsored by Standard Life, and hosted for the first two years by the University of Alberta.
Hogg earned his Ph.D in 1982, and became an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Physical Education in 1986, which ended his time with the swim program. However, his influence on the University of Alberta’s varsity programs was far from over. Hogg’s work in sport psychology led to new and re-crafted courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the Faculty, with garnered attention throughout the institution.
His work quickly evolved from education-based, to nationally-recognized publications, National and International Sport Science Conferences, as well as expanding coaching development at all levels. It was this work with coaching development, the psychology of performance, and mental preparation for successful performance, that led him back to the varsity programs.
After becoming a Professor in 1992, Hogg began work with various Golden Bears and Pandas teams, which in part led to one of the most successful decades in U of A history. From 1990 until his retirement in 2003, Hogg worked closely with the Pandas Basketball, Soccer, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey and Volleyball teams, who captured an astonishing 12 national championships over the 13-year span, including six-consecutive won by the Pandas volleyball team from 1995-2000.
After retiring from the University in 2003, Hogg continued to help in the development of young athletes and coaches. His extensive knowledge of mental preparation and performance psychology was widely sought after, leading Hogg to become a well-known clinician and motivational speaker well after his career at the University had ended.
In what was a most fitting way to cap off his illustrious career, Hogg was awarded the Geoff Gowan Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, 41 years after being convinced to come to Canada by none other than Gowan himself. Awarded since 1996 and created by the Coaching Association of Canada, it has been handed to individuals who have made lifetime contributions to coaching development.
Hogg is the 11th member of the Golden Bears and Pandas Swimming Program to be inducted into the Sports Wall of Fame, and the fourth in the ‘Builders’ category.
